May 11, 2020
Dear Valued Partners,
I hope you have been able to stay safe and well during this challenging time. As always, our top priority remains the health and safety of our team members, customers, partners, and the communities in which we live and work. I want to take this opportunity to provide an update on our current status and the important initiatives we have implemented as a result of the pandemic.
We continue to closely monitor guidelines provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding the COVID-19 situation as the curve of the virus begins to flatten. As country and state government orders are lifted, we are working closely with leaders across the company on a plan to bring our team members back to the office in a safe and secure manner.
The tremendous efforts and unwavering focus of our nearly 24,000 team members during this unprecedented crisis has allowed our business and operations to continue to perform normally. Even with 95% of our employees working from home since mid March, our business has continued to operate seamlessly.
For team members whose job function requires them to be in one of our offices, we implemented appropriate social distancing practices, made anti-bacterial hand sanitizer and masks widely available and increased cleaning in key areas. Throughout this crisis, we have continued to put the health and well-being of our team members first, while also supporting our customers and safeguarding our business.
Exceptional customer support has always been a key pillar of our business model, and we have taken numerous targeted steps to support our customers across all of our businesses. These include:
While we continue to manage with the relentless focus on execution you have come to expect from Global Payments, we also have an eye on the future and are working to ensure we are all well positioned for the economic recovery.
In addition to these customer efforts, we have launched an employee matching gift program to encourage and empower team members to actively support their local communities during this crucial time. We will match U.S. team member donations dollar for dollar when giving to the following COVID-19 response organizations: American Red Cross, United Way Pandemic Relief Fund and The Care Foundation.
We’re also pleased to support important restaurant economic relief organizations including Feeding America, The Giving Kitchen and the North Carolina Restaurant Workers Relief Fund. And in addition to our established annual philanthropic and community engagement programs around the world, Global Payments is responding to the pandemic by providing significant targeted support to the United Way and other coronavirus relief funds in the communities where our dual headquarters are located in Atlanta and Columbus, Georgia.
We are committed to keeping you updated with supportive resources as this situation is evolving. We are all in this together, and we will get through this together. Thank you for placing your trust in Global Payments.
Sincerely,
Jeff Sloan
Chief Executive Officer
Global Payments
March 27, 2020
As a valued partner, I appreciate the trust you place in us to support your business.
We are deeply committed to supporting our customers and team members in these unprecedented times. It’s our highest priority to ensure the health, safety and well-being of our team members, while continuing to provide business services to our partners. With the rapidly evolving nature of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, I want to take this opportunity to update you on the steps we are taking to mitigate any impact the virus may have on our business operations.
We are closely following reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and aligning our procedures to meet those guidelines. We began implementing our business continuity plans in impacted areas in early February and have continued to expand these efforts to the additional regions where the virus has been reported. As we continue to monitor and assess the situation, we have taken the following steps:
At this time, we do not anticipate any impact to our business operations and we are operating normally. We will continue to closely monitor reports from the WHO and CDC.
The health, safety and well-being of our team members is our top priority. Based on the evaluation of risk communicated by the WHO and CDC, we have put precautionary measures in all offices and facilities, to safeguard our team members from exposure to the virus while maintaining business continuity. These include face masks, anti-bacterial hand gel, and increased frequency in cleaning key areas such as door handles, reception areas, team member kitchens and washrooms. At this time all of our offices are being cleaned and disinfected every night. Additionally, we have provided mandatory training to educate all team members about the virus and what they can do to help protect themselves.
Given the significant concern around the Coronavirus, we instituted a company-wide moratorium on corporate travel to Asia Pacific countries (excluding Australia and New Zealand), Iran, Italy and South Korea in early February. During this time, we also implemented a self-quarantine requirement for any team member that recently traveled to or from an identified high risk region. These team members must work from home and monitor symptoms for at least 14 days. Additionally, any team member who has had contact with someone who tested positive for the virus must also adhere to the 14 day self-quarantine requirement.
In early March, we prohibited cross border travel globally without executive approval and any team member traveling domestically may only do so for important business meetings. Travel restrictions apply to all team members and contractors, as well as to visiting customers, partners, vendors and shareholders. We have encouraged all team members to avoid large, non-critical events and conferences. Additionally, on March 16, we encouraged all team members worldwide with the capability and equipment required to work from home to do so until at least April 3 and asked that all meetings be conducted either over the phone or via video, regardless of if team members are working in an office or remotely to avoid group gatherings.
We continue to closely monitor reports from the WHO and CDC and are doing everything we can in these uncertain times to continue to provide services to you and your business. We will provide updates with additional information as needed.
Thank you for your ongoing trust in Global Payments.
Sincerely,
Jeff Sloan
Chief Executive Officer
Global Payments